Bifröst,Iceland 作者：  来源：  发布时间：2021-01-19

一、人口，面积

Bifröst is a small settlement in western Iceland, in the Mýrasýsla county. It is located in the Northwest Political constituency and is the site of Bifröst University, a small private campus university. In the town of Bifröst there is a convenience store called Samkaup immediately, a coffee house, a kindergarten and a gym among other things.

二、自然地理

1.地理条件

Bifröst is surrounded by a 3,000-year-old Aalava field, Grábrókarhraun, which has been overgrown with moss and heather. It is part of the around 90 km long volcanic system of Ljósufjöll. Just behind the university campus are some craters which produced the lava field, the biggest one is called Grábrók (Stóra Grábrók) and the one beside it Grábrókarfell.

Bifröst is located in the countryside, 35 km away from the nearest town. With volcanoes, mountains, lava fields, birch forests, a lake and a spectacular waterfall all in walking distance, the surrounding area is a paradise for hikers and nature lovers. The possibilities for outdoor recreational activities are very diverse here. In addition to numerous hiking trails, Bifröst has an on-campus football / soccer field and basketball court, and a golf course is located just minutes away.

2. 交通情况

Most students fly to Iceland with Icelandair or WOW air. Keflavík-Reykjavík, International flights to Iceland land at Keflavík Airport, about 150 km (2-2,5 hours drive) from Bifröst. After arrival in Keflavík, students should take the flybus to the main bus station in Reykjavík (BSÍ). If arriving late in the day, an overnight in Reykjavík may be necessary because the last bus to Bifröst from Mjódd station is at 5:30 pm. In that case, our international coordinator will assist in finding affordable accommodation.

Reykjavík-Borgarnes-Bifröst, depending on landing time, students can sometimes jump right on the next bus to Bifröst. However, you might have to wait until the next day to catch a bus from the bus station. On arriving at Bifröst (often late in the evening), you will get your keys and will be escorted to your room to settle in.

三、经济发展和规模

Bifröst University is a very small university (even by Icelandic standards) and will therefore not impact the number of university graduates to a significant extent. Therefore our emphasis has been, first and foremost, on teaching and research excellence. Bifröst University seeks to engage students in research projects from the start of their programs and for that purpose international study cooperation is very important. Competences acquired through both exchange programs and study cooperation with universities in other countries which include study visits and on-line research cooperation even at the undergraduate level. Bifröst University thus seeks to create possibilities for focused and specialized study at the undergraduate level which can attract motivated and mature students who want to plan their study program efficiently and with the purpose of acquiring a number of vital skills before they finish their degree, instead of hoping for quick training on the first job they get after they graduate.

The current rector is Margrét Jónsdóttir Njarðvík, but she took office in 2020 when Vilhjálmur Egilsson retired when he had held the position for seven years, from 2013. The school employs over 900 people and about 10% of them live in student parks in the village. The school is divided into two departments; Faculty of Social Sciences and Law and Faculty of Business. In addition, there is the University Portal, which is intended as preparation for studies in the university's undergraduate faculties. The school graduates students with the following degrees: BS, BA, MS, MA and ML.

Business education and social affairs have been the school’s focus from the beginning, and Bifröst has always been progressive and innovative - sometimes, even controversial - in its educational methods. In recent years, Bifröst has continued to be an “early adopter” among Icelandic universities by reducing class sizes, focusing on practical assignments rather than exams, and increasing the use of computers and online communication in teaching and learning.

四、产业特点/重点项目

The 9th Nordic Conference on Cultural Policy Research (NCCPR) 2019 will be held at Bifröst University in Iceland during the 28th - 30th of August 2019. The theme of the conference is cultural peripheries and it focuses on questions concerning marginal culture, definitional boundaries of cultural policy research, and fringes in cultural politics.

In that context we ask: What is peripheral to cultural policy research? What is peripheral to culture or the Nordic? What is peripheral to cultural policy? The NCCPR 2019 is an inclusive, multidisciplinary conference where practitioners and researchers address issues regarding Nordic cultural policy, from standpoints which are relevant both to academic research and to the cultural sector. We invite papers variety of fields and practices provided that the contributions relate to Nordic cultural policy research in a broad sense.

Past projects

TRANSMOD: New tools for the integration of transversal skills in modern teaching practice.

e-NordBalt “e-services and internet economy in NordBalt countries”: Online course on the internet economy available to all participating students; Second part of the course will consist of an intensive week with teaching, possible visits and work in international groups.

Marketing of Galleries and Trade of Artworks in the Czech Republic and Iceland: focused on the educational methods of art management and cultural administration. The aim of the project is to show the similarities and differences between the Czech and Icelandic creative industry and teaching methods of marketing strategies of the fine arts.

Bifröst University has pursued a three layered strategy in its international work since its international department was established approximately 12 years ago.

The first, and most important layer, has been the student exchange. Its main emphasis has been on bilateral agreements with universities in Europe as well as outside of Europe based on student exchange and a mutual waiver of tuition fees. Bifröst University has concluded partnership agreements of this kind with universities in South and Eastern Asia, in North and South America, India, China and Turkey, as well as with a number of smaller universities in Europe. Exchange to and from Bifröst University has been limited to second cycle students, who may apply for participation in an exchange program after they have completed 80 ECTS credits. There is a practical reason for this limitation. Since most of Bifröst University´s second cycle students are unable to leave their homes because of family or work commitments, and are attracted to the programs Bifröst University offers partly because of the short intensive working periods during the summer and distance learning in fall and spring semesters, they seldom show interest in participating in exchange programs. In exceptional cases Bifröst University has been able to offer exchange possibilities to second cycle students. Therefore Bifröst University remains committed to strengthening its exchange partnerships with regard to first cycle students but does not plan to develop exchange partnerships for second cycle students.

A second emphasis has been on concluding Erasmus agreements with Universities within the European Union, but since there has been greater student interest in places outside of Europe, work on bilateral agreements has directed partner search to a greater extent than the Erasmus cooperation.

A second strategic layer, more recent but not less important than the student exchange, has been to develop teaching partnerships with universities that to some extent share Bifröst University's vision of providing practical training to students as part of the traditional university curriculum in the humanities and social sciences. Bifröst has worked with universities in Finland especially and now has a good working relationship with universities such as Kemi-Tornio in Lapland and Laurea in Southern Finland. Similar cooperation is being developed with universities in Poland and Canada. Although Bifröst University does not yet offer double or joint degrees, one of the objectives of such cooperation is to develop joint programs. Currently two partner universities have proposed joint degree programs and talks with one Canadian university (Memorial) are underway.

The third strategic layer concerns faculty exchange and research cooperation. Bifröst University specializes in the social sciences with special emphasis on business law, political science, business and innovation, tourism management and cultural management. As a part of Bifröst University's research policy, faculty exchange is encouraged, and especially, faculty participation in international research networks and programs. Bifröst University faculty has pursued such cooperation with the University of Southern Denmark, as well as with the University of Wales, Malta University and Krems University in Austria.

五、风景名胜，景点

1. Library

The library is located on the ground floor, right behind the service desk.

Opening hours Monday to Friday from 9:00 - 16:00

Contact information: E-mail bokasafn@bifrost.is

Direct phone +354 433 3099

The library holds both Icelandic books and publications in other languages (mainly English). It has around 21,000 volumes in all, with primary emphasis on material in the subject areas taught at Bifröst University: business and management, business law and the social sciences. Bifröst University Library is a member of the Icelandic Concortica to E-resources (www.hvar.is) and our main e-serials are provided there.

2. Grábrók Volcano

Just past Grábrók volcano along the main road is a small parking lot and a path leading up to the mountain. The path is easy and wooden stairs have been built on part of it. The view from the top is magnificent, encompassing Norðurárdalur and the encircling mountains. A brisk walk from campus to the top of the volcano and back again takes about 40 minutes.

3. Paradisarlaut

From the overlook by Glanni, one can continue a short ways south to Paradísarlaut (Paradise Hollow), where there is a small pond with beautiful, clear water. It is possible to follow the trail even further south to another waterfall called Laxfoss, and to the farm and summer cottage area in Munaðarnes. There are two small streams on the trail but they are both easy to cross.

六、历史文化

1.历史

Bifröst University before Samvinnuskólinn or Samvinnuskólinn Bifröst is an Icelandic university located in Norðurárdalur in Borgarbyggð, in Borgarfjörður. A small village, Bifröst, has formed around the school, where about 200 people live. The school was founded in 1918 under the name Samvinnuskólinn and was then located in Reykjavík. The school was run by the Association of Icelandic Cooperatives and was intended for members of the cooperative movement. The first principal was Jónas Jónsson from Hrifla. It was modeled on Ruskin College, Oxford, England, where Jónas himself had studied. The school moved in 1955 to the land of Hreðarvatn in Norðurárdalur. It was in 1988 that the school was formally transformed into a school at the university level. The school has undergone several name changes, but in addition to the first name (Samvinnuskólinn) and the current one (Bifröst University) it has been named Samvinnuháskólinn and Viðskiptaháskólinn á Bifröst. The school has been a private institution since 1990, but before that it was a department within SÍS.

In 1912 Sigurður Jónsson's lecture tours and courses for the co-operatives began and on 12 August 1918 the board of SÍS agreed to hold a school for co-operatives and Jónas Jónsson from Hrifla was appointed principal and the school started in Reykjavík on 3 December 1918. The school was a two-year course there. until the upper secondary school started working in 1950. In the spring of 1955 Jónas Jónsson resigned as headmaster and Guðmundur Sveinsson took over and then in the summer the school was moved from Reykjavík to Bifröst in Borgarfjörður and there will be a boarding school. In 1973, the Secondary Department began working in Reykjavík and it was a course leading to a matriculation examination. In 1977, the school was tasked with providing vocational training courses for the co-operative movement. In 1986, the Samvinnuskóli examination will be a matriculation examination, in which case the school's two-year study program will be based on the last two years of upper secondary school. In 1988 the school became a special school at the university level and at the beginning of 1990 the school became a private institution under the name Samvinnuháskólinn. The studies at Samvinnuskólinn were connected to the educational ideals of the folk high school movement and Grundtvig and influenced by Ruskin College in Oxford, but adapted to the needs of Icelanders for trade studies and social education in a cooperative spirit.

The history of Bifröst University began in 1918, when the Cooperative College (Samvinnuskólinn) was founded in Reykjavík. In August 1918, the board of the Federation of Icelandic Cooperative Societies (SÍS) resolved to establish a school for members of the movement. The Cooperative College began operations in December of that year. Jónas Jónsson from Hrifla was chosen as the first headmaster. Jónas defined the school’s mission as the training of leaders, using Ruskin College at Oxford (where Jónas himself had studied) as a model.

In the summer of 1955, the school moved to Bifröst in the Borgarfjörður region of West Iceland, where it has been ever since. The move was a turning point in the school’s history. Guðmundur Sveinsson took over the rector's chair, and Jónas, by then seventy years old, retired. The school was reorganized as a boarding school, and as the faculty and student numbers grew, the university village of Bifröst slowly took shape.

The university occupies land which previously belonged to a farm called Hreðavatn. Sigurlaug Daníelsdóttir and Kristján Gestsson had lived at Hreðavatn from 1913 until 1949, when Kristján died in an accident. Þórður, one of their six sons, had taken over the farm at the time when the school moved from Reykjavík. Initially, the Federation of Icelandic Cooperative Societies leased the land from the family. On 1 December 1985, Sigurlaug and Kristján’s children generously donated the land at Bifröst to the school in memory of their parents. In 1987, a memorial plaque honoring Sigurlaug and Kristján was set up on a lava pillar by the driveway to the old school building. The plaque is in the form of a birch leaf and reads: “In memory of Sigurlaug Daníelsdóttir and Kristján Gestsson from Hreðavatn. With thanks from the members of the Icelandic cooperative movement for the land at Bifröst on which the Cooperative College stands. ”

The Cooperative College changed its name to the Cooperative University in 1988, to the Bifröst School of Business in 2000, and finally to Bifröst University in 2006. These many changes reflect the tremendous growth and development of the Icelandic higher educational system over the last few decades . Until 1990, the school was a division of the Federation of Icelandic Cooperative Societies. It was owned by the Federation and served largely as a training college for Federation employees.

Following the dissolution of the Federation, Bifröst has been an independent institution that attracts students from all sectors of Icelandic society. Formerly, Bifröst offered a secondary-level program of study lasting only a few months. Today, Bifröst's strongest enrollments are for its three-year bachelor's degrees. In keeping with its tradition as an educator of leaders, Bifröst also continues to offer preparatory studies at a secondary level, aimed at mature students who have gained experience in the working world but lack an Icelandic matriculation examination. Since 2003, Bifröst offers master's degree programs as well.

The opening of the Hvalfjarðargöng tunnel in 1998 brought Bifröst within an hour and a half’s driving distance of Reykjavík and had a major impact on life in the entire Borgarfjörður region. In turn, Bifröst has had a strong influence, both directly and indirectly, on Borgarfjörður and the local community here.

The number of students studying at Bifröst has grown rapidly in recent years, as has the university village. The majority of Bifröst’s students are enrolled in distance learning programs, but many students and their families live on campus. The campus boasts a shop, café / pub, gym, sauna, sports facilities and a preschool, and the elementary school at Varmaland is only a short bus ride away.

Today, Bifröst University is a leading educational institution in Iceland, with a strong commitment to its students and the community. Bifröst offers its students quality training in business, law, and the social sciences, and prepares them for positions of responsibility and leadership both in Iceland and abroad.

2. 文化体育

On campus you will find a sauna, hot tub and a paddling pool. The gym is part of the university campus and is open every day from 06:00 am to 22:30 pm. Many trails for hiking and bicycling are found around the campus. The environment, being varied, offers many possibilities. It is possible to hike through the lavafield, stroll along the river Norðurá, explore the forest at Jafnaskarð, or to climb upon the volcanic crater Grábrók.

The nine hole golf course Glanni is only a short walk from the campus. The golf-course is considered among the most enjoyable and scenic golf-courses in Iceland. A small soccer field is located next to the campus. It is ideal for football practice for people of all ages. There is also a basketball court on campus.

ifröst residents shouldn’t worry about getting out of shape. Attached to the main school building is a fitness center and weight room equipped for working out. It is an ideal stop in the midst of a hectic day, and afterwards a nice stretch in the hot tubs or sauna can provide some needed relaxation.

The fitness center is open daily from 6:00 - 23:00. Like in all Icelandic swimming pools you must wash yourself without wearing your bathing suit before entering the hot tubs. Food and drink is not permitted in the bathing area and it is especially important not to bring any glass. The slightly colder shallow pool is especially designed for Bifröst's smaller residents, and on sunny days it can get quite crowded and cheerful.

七、其他信息

For typical big-city pleasures such as theater, cinema and art exhibitions, one must usually go to Reykjavík. However, it's hard to be bored at Bifröst. Typical of campus universities, students at Bifröst naturally spend a lot of time together and there are endless opportunities for making new friends, as well as frequent lectures, concerts, formal dinners and informal parties in the school café.

八、联系方式

Town Manager : Halldóra Lóa Þorvaldsdóttir

Phone:433-3028

Email:namsradgjof@bifrost.is

Address:PL 1153101 Lappeenranta